It can happen at any stage of the disease. Your loved one who suffers from dementia could wander off. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, six out of ten people with dementia will wander. Here’s the kicker: There’s no guarantee that your loved one won’t wander off, just because they’ve never done so. If they can walk, wandering is always a possibility. Patients have been known to wander far from home, sometimes walking or driving away, if their car keys haven’t been confiscated.

Why dementia patients wander

The answer to why patients wander is varied. There isn’t a specific trigger for every wanderer, but something calls to your loved one to get up and out. In their minds, it might be as simple as “going home.” For instance, my mother was sure that if she walked down the road a little way from my house, she would be back in her old neighborhood and childhood home and see her aged parents.

She often decided to “go home”, and in her mind, she could get there. She had no understanding of time and space. It didn’t matter that we lived 1000 miles from her hometown. She would be home in minutes if she just went for a walk. Also, she was driven by responsibility. She had taken care of her parents when they were old. In her mind, my mother had to get back to care for her mom and dad, and she would walk there if she had to. She was determined, and an attempt to convince her otherwise always fell on deaf ears.

Obviously, taking a walk alone or getting behind the wheel of a car is extremely dangerous for one who suffers from any form of dementia. Getting lost can exacerbate the effects of Alzheimer’s disease, which may cause even more confusion and frustration, and have long-term consequences. In anticipation of a loved one’s bent toward wandering, caregivers should take steps to ensure their safety.

How Alzheimer’s-proof is your home?

Your home is the first line of defense. Make it as inconvenient for your loved one to leave the house unnoticed.

Visit your local hardware store to find a simple alarm mechanism that can be easily installed at each door to the outside. Place the alarm in an inconspicuous place along the doorframe and leave it turned on. The alarm will sound when the door opens and the connection is broken, alerting you to a wandering family member.

Childproof doorknobs are another option for keeping wanderers from leaving without supervision. Additional locks, or locks that are basically camouflaged, will help. In other words, place locks in odd places—on the down low or up high—where they’re not expected.

Do not leave car keys out in the open. Out of sight, out of mind.

Enlist trusted neighbors and neighborhood watch groups.

Outsiders may not know that your family member has Alzheimer’s disease. They don’t interact with them daily, at least not in the same manner you do. A neighbor might observe your parent or spouse for a walk and think nothing of it. If it “takes a village to raise a child”, it takes much more to assist a neighbor with a mind-altering disease.

If you are comfortable with your neighbors, inform them that your loved one should never be out and about alone. Give the neighbor your telephone number, and ask him/her to call you immediately if they see the family member outside alone, especially if they are seen walking away from home. In the same manner, inform your community’s neighborhood watch.

It can be challenging to share with someone outside of the family that your loved one has dementia. You want to protect your loved one’s dignity and privacy, but it is best to err on the cautious side if you’re confident of your neighbor’s trustworthiness. t

Supervision is crucial

A person in the throes of dementia should never be left unattended. Depending on the stage of Alzheimer’s of your loved one, you may not have to be tied at the hip. However, stay close and stay aware. Pay strict attention to your loved one’s movements at a public event.

While we’ve strongly stressed that dementia and Alzheimer’s patients wander (six out of ten), we must also stress that locking a loved one inside a room or house unattended is not recommended. In fact, it shouldn’t occur, since it presents additional dangers.

Implementing the practices above will help caregivers keep loved ones with dementia safe from wandering. However, it is unfortunate that sometimes, despite a caregiver’s best efforts, a loved one will walk away. Navigatingalzheimersdisease.com will examine that topic in an upcoming article: “What to Do When an Alzheimer’s Patient Goes Missing.”